Methods have been developed for patterning materials on substrates. For example, photolithography employs photoresist and a shadow mask. Light passes through the shadow mask and selectively exposes the photoresist. The exposed photoresist is then developed and cured to create a patterned photoresist. To define the underlying material according to the photoresist pattern, an etchant can be employed to remove material where the photoresist is absent. Alternatively, materials can be deposited on the photoresist and patterned by a lift-off process. In this case, the deposited material is removed where the photoresist is present. Additionally, some semiconductor processing materials have been developed with photo-active properties, providing a dielectric material that can be patterned like photoresist; an example is benzocyclobutene (BCB).
Despite the progress made in photolithography and other patterning techniques, there is a need in the art for improved methods and systems for patterning materials.